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Bargain Infernal Episode 130: "Shards of Destiny"
Everything around Alex and Helena was shaking, as if the globe itself was groaning under the strain of recovering from the injuries inflicted on it. The very gash that had threatened to rip apart everything they knew was closing up, but a surging energy in the air clearly declined to fade away.Alex's body was made of fire and broken glass. Every breath was a hard-fought battle against the overwhelming pain stalking him. But he refused to let it win over him. He'd fight it. He had to. For her.Helena.Her hand, warm and steady in his, was the only thing holding him here. The faint pulse of life he could feel still beating within her grasp kept his heart pulsing, as every muscle inside him screamed to rest."Helena…." His voice was hoarse, a mere whisper of the man he used to be.Her eyes fluttered open, weak but alive. “I’m here…” Her lips parted with the effort, a soft smile creeping across her bloodied face. “Always…”Alex swallowed hard, his throat dry, and for the briefest of mome
Bargain Infernal Shards of Destiny Part II
"The earth was still convulsing as if the land itself had absorbed the burden of their fight and shuddered in response. The air stank of smoke and raw energy, heavy and oppressive. Alex Mercer stood upon charred ground, his battered body a constant reminder that they were not safe yet. And beside him stood Helena, who clutched her blade. Her knuckles were pale above the hilt. Their wounds told of a battle narrowly won, but of a war that had only now begun."In the distance, the Warden's monstrous form loomed, flickering like an unstable flame. His once-imposing presence wavered, but his eyes still burned with fury two stars carved from the void itself. Yet something had shifted. The arrival of the Herald had disrupted the abyssal order."Herald: (commanding) "Stand down, Warden. Your time is over.""The cloaked figure's voice was a blade slicing through the oppressive darkness. Her aura radiated a silvery brilliance, defiant against the creeping shadows. As she advanced, even the Ward
Bargain Infernal Episode 132: Shards of Destiny—Part III
"The Nexus lay open before them like an endless horizon, glowing strangely with a luminescence almost otherworldly. The rivers of light and shadow played patterns across the vista, as though between being and nothingness, Alex Mercer could feel it pressing into his chest. The energy was alive and ancient and charged. Next to him, Helena's grip on her blade seemed to tighten in anticipation, as her eyes kept scanning warily over this fantastic landscape.Helena: (breathlessly) "This place it is unnatural.""Her voice was barely audible in the charged atmosphere, but Alex heard the tension in her voice. He felt it too a gnawing unease, as if the very fabric of reality was fraying at the edges.Alex: (gritting between his teeth) "Keep your wits. We don't know what we're walking into."."The Herald strode before them, her silvery robe seeming to move along the earth unseen. Her approach was both litany and caveat, reminding that they were among those places of which nothing at all is to b
Bargain Infernal Episode 133: Shards of Destiny—Part IV
The earth shook beneath them, the thrum of ancient power heavy in the air. The blinding light that had burst forth from the depths of the Nexus now swelled like a storm on the rise. Alex's heart pounded, every muscle tensed for combat. Helena stood beside him, her breath shallow and focused. The Herald stood calmly before the light, unflinching.Helena: (sharp, alert) "This is bad. This isn't some guardian we can fight off with brute force."Alex: (gritted teeth) "It's coming for us, isn't it?"The shapes within the white light twisted, monstrous and impossible. They moved in patterns too complex for mortal eyes to follow. A nightmare born of ancient memory. And it had chosen them for its next meal. The Nexus was alive.Herald: (calm, but with an undercurrent of urgency) "This is not just any task. The creatures coming are survivors of the First Fallen. Stripped of both shape and definition long ago in the Nexus they have been given. Now they will reclaim whatever was taken, and there
Bargain Infernal Episode 134: Shards of Destiny Part V
The ground cracked beneath them, the entire landscape quaking as though the very fabric of the Nexus was unraveling. The Colossus loomed over Alex, Helena, and the Herald, its massive, shadow-wrought form flickering between reality and nightmare. Its energy rippled outward like a living force, suffocating the air with an unnatural pressure.Alex: (gritted, breathless) "I’m not waiting to be crushed under its weight."Alex clenched his fists, the hellfire still coursing through his veins, and the energy inside him surged. His skin burned with the familiar, corrosive heat. But it wasn’t enough. He could feel it the Colossus’ presence, like an anchor holding him in place, draining his strength with every breath.Helena: (desperate, eyes wide) "Alex, we need a plan! This thing isn't just a monster it's part of the Nexus itself."Helena's voice barely reached him over the deafening roar of the Colossus. But Alex heard the truth in her words. The Colossus wasn't just an enemy; it was the em
Bargain Infernal Episode 135: Shards of Destiny Part VI
Silence. An overwhelming, suffocating silence. Alex's mind was adrift in a sea of darkness, his consciousness tethered to nothing, lost within the very essence of the Nexus itself. The rush of hellfire and shadows had consumed him, and now… he felt nothing. No pain, no power, no breath. But there was something something far off in the distance. A glimmer of light, faint but persistent, like a thread of hope in an abyss. Alex reached for it, his mind struggling to surface from the depths of the darkness. He didn't know how much time had passed, but the oppressive weight of the Nexus pressed harder the longer he lingered in this void.Alex: (weak, struggling) "What. happened.?"The voice was a stranger's voice, far off. He had no idea how long it had been since he'd spoken aloud or even where he was. The might of the Nexus still thundered through his system, but it was. dimmed. Faded. Shadows seemed to coalesce and draw closer, their whispers indistinct, like nothing he could make out.
Bargain Infernal Episode 136: Shards of Destiny—Part VII
The world dived into shadow. Alex's mind was tumbling in a void of fear and uncertainty, and for an instant, he forgot who he was. The Nexus, that awful, living force, held him tight like the string of a puppet, and he had no idea how much longer he could resist its call. His chest rose up with the weight of it all—his new, unstable power, the consequences of his choices, and the monstrous entity looming in front of him.The air was heavy, crackling with unnatural energy. He could feel the ground beneath his feet shift, unstable and moving, as if the very foundation of reality was bending under the pressure. The monstrous figure, now fully emerged, towered over them—a grotesque shape of shadow and energy, its form contorting and twisting like something out of the deepest corners of nightmares. Its presence was suffocating, dark as the heart of the Nexus itself.Alex: (gritted, determined) "I'm not backing down. I don't care what you are."His voice rang out, but the words felt small a
Bargain Infernal Episode 137: Shards of Destiny Part VIII
The tremors beneath their feet grew more intense, shaking the very foundations of the Nexus. Alex could feel it something immense, something ancient, stirring in the dark depths of this forsaken realm. The ground cracked and groaned, as if the very earth itself was fighting against the forces that had been unleashed. It was coming. And it was coming for him.Helena's breath quickens as she compulsively casts her gaze to the side, seeking to identify the cause of all that upset. The Herald stood perfectly still, dark eyes forming at the edges as her hands clenched at her sides, bracing for what was surely worse than what they'd experienced so far.Helena: (worried, frightened) "What in God's name is that? What's coming?The Herald’s gaze fixed on Alex, her lips pressed tightly together. She didn’t answer right away. She didn’t need to. The answer was already apparent. Whatever was approaching, it was far more than any of them had bargained for.Herald: (quiet, deadly calm) “You’ve unle
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Episode 200: The Day of Redemption
The earth had been rent asunder. The heavens had cracked open. But now, in the aftermath of the battle, there was a stillness. A calm that seemed almost unnatural, as though the world itself had been holding its breath, waiting for this moment.Helena stood alone at the edge of the ruins, her hand pressed to the cool stone of what had once been a great wall, now reduced to rubble. Her fingers traced the cracks, as if seeking some sign that the world she once knew was still there, beneath the destruction. She closed her eyes, taking a slow, deep breath, and the weight of everything they had lost pressed down on her chest.She thought of the faces they had seen fall, the countless souls who had given their lives to this war. Friends. Strangers. Heroes. She thought of the world that had been swallowed by darkness, of the innocence that had been torn away. The battle had taken everything. And yet…A whisper of wind brushed her cheek, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she s
Episode 199: Final Descent
The fight had been on for hours, but Alex and Helena were not done. They were drained of their last drops of energy; every punch was a swat of finishing blows. The sky above was split apart by the crash of calamity, the earth below their feet cracked and blood-soaked, the battleground. They were a relentless force of abyssal creatures, clawing their way up from the very depths of hell itself. And above them, the dark creature they had been battling the twisted, monstrous being of molten rock and shadow—did not back down.Alex's eyes were wild with fury, his entire being charged with the hellfire he had summoned. Every breath burned like the underworld's flames. His body had become a vessel of destruction, and he was fighting this battle for what seemed like a lifetime. It was not just the creature in front of him but the darkness within himself, the abyssal power that threatened to consume him with every passing moment.Helena fought at his side, her blade slicing through dark creatur
Episode 198: The Horizon
The light had changed the battle scene, returning what was lost. The earth cracks had closed, and the lifeless land was now dotted with the first green shoots. Yet with all this peace, Alex couldn't shake the unease growing in his chest. The light was pure, potent, and alive, and it had pushed the void back. However, with its presence came something darker, something ancient, which had awakened from its slumber. The battle was far from over.As the warmth of the sphere ebbed away, the air shifted around them. The air, once still and inert, had become dense and heavy; it seemed almost as though it were waiting to break into the daylight, out of the shadows. There was a humming, pulsating vibration through the ground that lay in the pit of Alex's stomach. Like a heartbeat almost, but life's not this: that was deeper, much, much older.Alex: (on point, grave) "It's coming now."Helena: (eyes scanning the horizon) “What is it? The darkness… It’s not gone, is it?”Alex: (tightening his gri
Episode 197: The Spark of Hope
The light ahead flickered like a dying ember, casting a pale glow over the shattered landscape. It was faint, but there was a small, stubborn defiance against the darkness that had nearly consumed the world. Alex and Helena moved toward it, their footsteps echoing in the hollow silence left behind by the chaos.The air was still, heavy with the remnants of the abyss. Each breath felt weighted, as though even the atmosphere had been scarred by what had passed. The ground beneath them was cracked and barren, but there was something about the way the light shone through the haze that made Alex believe just for a moment that there was still something worth saving.Helena: (quietly, observing) "It feels like, like everything is waiting. Like the world is holding its breath."Alex: (gravelly, focused) "It’s not over yet. Not by a long shot."They pressed on, the journey heavy with the weight of the battle they had just fought. The path was uncertain, littered with debris, but Alex’s eyes we
Episode 196: Aftermath
The explosion had stopped. The sound was deafeningly silent. Helena's ground crumbled as the remnants of the abyss dissipated, but it wasn't a relief. There was no victory. Just emptiness that engulfed her.Helena: (whispering frantically) "Alex. Alex, where are you?"She scanned the devastation around her, her heart pounding in her chest. The rift was gone, its tendrils retracting into the ground like the remnants of some nightmarish creature. The air was still thick with the lingering residue of darkness, and yet, there was no sign of Alex.The sky above them, once twisted with shadow, was now eerily calm, the storm having passed. But this calm felt wrong like the world was holding its breath, waiting for something more.Helena: (shaking, speaking to herself) "He has to be here. He can’t be. gone."She ran through the rubble, calling out his name, but only the wind answered. Her hand tightened around the hilt of her blade, the weight of the weapon a hollow comfort in her grasp. She
Episode 195: The Final Hour
The air stank of smoke and rot, heavy with an acrid flavor. What used to be a city lay strewn before Alex and Helena as if it were a graveyard: buildings shattered, broken, rising like tombstones in the deserted land, all skeletal and speaking of the desperate fight they went through. Now, the world felt colder—as if the air had been hollowed out.Helena: (soft, grim) "How much longer can this go on, Alex?"Alex: (determined) "As long as it takes. The abyss isn’t done with us yet. And we won’t stop until it is."They had just finished dealing with the last of the creature's tendrils. The rift had closed, but there was no peace. The storm had calmed, but the tension was palpable, as if the calm before the storm held something far worse yet to come. It was clear now: the abyss had a plan. It wasn’t merely an enemy to be defeated. It was a force, a presence, an ancient evil that had only begun to reveal its true form.Helena: (with a sigh) "This place. It's like nothing is real anymore.
Episode 194: Descent Into Madness
The world had become a battleground. The city lay in ruins behind them, a monument to the chaos that had overtaken their lives. Alex and Helena, standing amidst the devastation, could feel the weight of what they had just accomplished. The creature, an embodiment of the abyss, was gone, but its shadow still lingered in the air. The ground was cracked, the sky darkened, and the very fabric of reality seemed to pulse in unnatural rhythms.Helena: (low, somber) "What are we even fighting for now? This place. It's a graveyard."Alex: (gritting his teeth) "We're fighting for the world that's left. We don't stop until it's all gone, until it's finished."Alex's voice was heavy with the weight of their struggle, hours of fighting, endless battles, and the constant, gnawing pressure of the abyss clawing at his mind. They had come so far, yet there was still so much to do. The world, what was left of it, was a fractured reflection of its former self. And Alex knew that, deep down, the abyss wa
Episode 193: The Reaper’s Reckoning
The remnants of the city loomed behind them, twisted steel and concrete jutting out of the ground like skeletal remains. The air still smelled of charred flesh, burnt remnants of a world that had nearly been consumed. Alex and Helena stood in the shadow of the destruction, their faces grim as they stared into the horizon, where the first signs of the coming storm appeared dark clouds swirling ominously in the distance.Alex: (gritting his teeth) “I thought we had more time. I thought we could end this.”Helena: (softly) “We can still try. But whatever we’re facing, it’s not just demons or the abyss anymore. We’re up against something older, something more dangerous than we can even comprehend.”The ground beneath them trembled ever so slightly, sending a shiver down Alex’s spine. He could feel it the pull of the abyss, as if it had sensed their uncertainty. The darkness was alive. It responded to their fears, feeding on it, growing stronger.Alex glanced at Helena, her sword still gri
Episode 192: The Storm of Violence
The air was heavy with the acrid scent of burnt flesh and smoke, and hellfire still hung faintly in the air. Alex and Helena stood together amidst the ruins of what had once been a city. The battle was over, but its aftermath clung to every corner: destruction, chaos, and the silence that follows the storm of violence.Their breaths were heavy, the adrenaline of the fight still coursing through their veins. Helena wiped the blood from her face, her sword still in hand, its edge now darkened with the stain of the battle. Alex could feel the weight of the abyssal energy within him, like a constant hum in the back of his mind, a reminder that the war was far from over.He looked over at Helena. Her eyes, which had been bright with determination, were dulled now with fatigue. She was standing yet still fighting, but Alex could see the cost of the fight, endless as it was. To both of them.Alex: (softly) "We did it… but it's not over, is it?"Helena: (shaking her head) "No. It's only just